LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - Germany's DAX raced to
new record highs on Monday as European stocks extended their
recent sharp rally as investors bet the weakened euro would
boost the region's economy and lift exporter earnings.

The European rally also pushed up Switzerland's SMI
equity index back near levels last seen in January, before a
slump in that index caused by a surge in the franc after the
Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned a three-year peg holding the
value of its currency to 1.20 francs per euro.

The DAX -- which unlike many other European equity indexes
factors in returns from dividends -- rose 1.6 percent to
12,088.68 points, smashing through the 12,000-point level for
the first time.
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